


Taking Chances

by SadistiKitteh



Series: Boundshipping AU [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Joey Wheeler (mentioned) - Freeform, M/M, Marik Ishtar (mentioned) - Freeform, Tea Gardner (mentioned), Tristan Taylor (mentioned), boundshipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 04:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20185915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadistiKitteh/pseuds/SadistiKitteh
Summary: Bakura knows Yugi's friends won't trust him, so he hides away to let Yugi hang out with them without trouble. When he overhears Yugi defending him to the group, Bakura becomes conflicted over whether he should stay hidden or take a chance in making himself known to Yugi's friends.





	Taking Chances

Despite Yugi’s advice, Bakura hadn't tried talking with Malik again. He was glad for Yugi’s confidence in his abilities, but he knew Malik could hold a grudge. Talking wouldn’t get him anywhere, and he was certain that nothing he did would make things with Malik work out. 

In the moments he got frustrated, he helped Yugi’s grandfather around the shop. The first time he’d done this, he was tense as he demanded to be given work. Yugi’s Grandpa was startled, but had easily given him the simple task of organizing the shelves. 

Bakura learned, shortly after thanking Yugi’s grandpa for trusting him to work in his shop, to call him Solomon. 

Yugi found out a week later when he came in offering to help his grandpa. Bakura had walked into the store hauling a box just as Solomon explained he had been helping with stock. When their eyes met, Bakura felt his stomach do loops as Yugi’s surprised expression melted into a softer thankful smile. 

Bakura’s thoughts were plagued with that smile, even distracting him from his troubles with Malik. 

But now it had been a couple months since Bakura first came to Yugi for help, growing more comfortable in the house. He still avoided the rest of Yugi’s friends, though. Thankfully Solomon allowed him to work in the back of the shop, away from the sounds of Yugi and his friends when they visited. 

Little did he know they already knew he was there, and had for some time. 

“Maybe we just have to go invite him ourselves!” Joey said through a mouthful of chips, which Téa nudged him for. 

“He wouldn’t like that.” Ryou said, setting down a monster and another face-down card. 

“We should wait until he’s comfortable being in the same room as us all first,” Yugi suggested, drawing a card at the end of Ryou’s turn, “Or one at a time.” 

Bakura, in this moment, quietly snuck back inside to charge his laptop. Normally, he made sure to take his charger or at least keep his laptop ready and charged when Yugi informed him his friends were coming over. But today, he was more frantic to hide and had forgotten to grab his charger in haste. 

“Somehow I think even if it was you and I, he wouldn’t be comfortable.” Ryou mumbled, huffing softly in amusement when Yugi used a counter-trap against his trap. 

“I know you said he’s different around you Yugi, but he might not be around us,” Tristan said, sitting back when he finished marking down Ryou’s new life point amount, “Still weird to me that he's living with you now.” 

“I swear, you guys, he just doesn’t want to cause more fighting. Besides, Bakura seems to really be trying to work things out with Malik, and he's been helping grandpa out a lot too.” 

He paused just out of view, hearing Yugi’s voice carry in the small space of the hall. For the first time, he heard Yugi defending him to his friends. His hands gripped the laptop tight hearing Ryou’s voice for the first time since coming back, encouraging for the subject to be dropped and to move on to a new topic. 

“I’ll take that for you, if you’d like.” 

Bakura looked up to see Solomon, holding out his hand. His eyes looked sympathetic, as if he knew one day Bakura would overhear. As if this was a conversation the old man had heard himself many times. 

It reminded Bakura of how often Yugi would hesitate to mention his friends around him. He thought keeping his distance would make it easier for Yugi. 

“How many times?” 

Solomon hesitated before replying. “I don’t think you want to know that, my boy.” 

Bakura’s eyes lowered as guilt swept through him. He had seen Yugi as someone to extend his friendship to anyone, but didn’t consider the strain his presence put on his current friendships. 

Bakura felt his laptop being gently pulled from his hands. He looked up at Solomon then, the unasked question clear on his face: _What do I do?_

Solomon simply patted his arm and took the laptop to where the charger was plugged in; where he knew Yugi would notice. 

Bakura slipped into the kitchen in a sudden panic, quickly filling a glass of water and chugging it down before filling it with more. He wanted to just get it over with; waltz into the group and make himself comfortable despite what the other’s felt. But he didn’t think his presence would make things better; if not awkward, it could make things that much worse for Yugi. 

He barely noticed Yugi, frozen at the doorway like Bakura was a deer ready to bolt at any moment. 

The pounding of Bakura’s chest told him he definitely felt like bolting. 

Both stayed frozen like that; Bakura gripping his cup by the sink and Yugi a couple steps into the kitchen. Yugi was the first to move; he looked almost guilty, but didn’t speak to keep Bakura’s presence hidden from the others. From Yugi’s friends. 

How much did it hurt Yugi to not just greet Bakura while his friends were nearby? 

Bakura set his glass down, afraid his shaking hands might drop the glass. 

He couldn’t find the words; how guilty he felt for hiding and leaving Yugi to assure his friends that he wasn’t a danger, how much he found himself wanting to prove himself if it meant he never had to hear Yugi plead to his friends ever again. 

Words failed him, but his body moved on it’s own and wrapped Yugi in a hug. A single squeeze he hoped would communicate enough: _I'm sorry_

Yugi gently hugged back, then slowly hugged tighter. Bakura didn’t let go; not even when he saw a couple curious heads peek in the kitchen, or when his eyes eventually met Ryou’s at the doorway. He only pulled away when Yugi did. 

He ruffled Yugi’s hair and smiled, the tremble of his mouth the only thing betraying just how nervous he was. Yugi laughed quietly, fixing his hair. 

Not realizing yet that his friends watched, Yugi took Bakura’s hands and squeezed them. “I’m okay. It’s okay Bakura, you don’t have to hang out with us or even talk to them if you’re not ready.” 

Bakura squeezed Yugi’s hands back, but felt heat touch his cheeks knowing they were being watched. Not wanting to keep Yugi in the dark, he nodded toward the doorway behind Yugi. “I don’t think I have a choice, Mutou.” 

His smile grew a touch when Yugi swivelled around, clearly embarrassed. As he watched Yugi tried to keep his friends from watching further, the knot of anxiety slowly loosened itself. He only felt a little nervous seeing how Ryou looked at him, with what he could’ve sworn was amusement in his eyes. 

He wasn’t sure he liked what that implied. 

Joey suddenly moved around the corner and came to a stop in front of Bakura, making Bakura take a step back in alarm. “Look, I get if your busy, but hiding won’t help us trust you more.” 

Bakura frowned, not meeting Joey’s eyes. “You don’t have to trust–” 

“And if we want to?” Ryou spoke up, peeking around Joey. 

Bakura couldn’t answer that, had not really thought he’d want Yugi’s friends to trust him. He didn’t think Yugi would have taken him in, or that he’d be staying as long as he had. He also didn’t think his fights with Malik would ever end in being kicked out. 

At Yugi’s insistence, Joey took a step back to give Bakura space. “We want to give you a chance, man. And I definitely know Yugi wants you around, he told us!” 

At that, Yugi got flustered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I like having all my friends together.” 

Bakura snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Yugi surprised. He’d openly, in front of his friends, called Bakura his friend too. Yugi was embarrassed that he talked about Bakura without him knowing, but wasn’t ashamed of calling him a friend. 

He remembered what he overheard, and found himself unable to speak. Why did he assume Yugi would be ashamed of being friends with Bakura? 

Before he could recover, Tristan spoke up from the kitchen entrance. “Hey, not to interrupt, but we’re getting hungry out here and Yugi _was_ going to call for pizza.” 

“Oh!” Yugi looked flustered, searching the kitchen for a pamphlet menu to order from. “Sorry, I completely forgot!” 

Bakura blinked, shook his head, and plucked the pamphlet out of Yugi’s reach before he could grab it. “I’ll do it, tell me what you guys want and you can go do whatever.” 

He bit his lip, before adding, “I guess I’ll join you when I’m finished.” 

Bakura didn’t think it would be comfortable, but he wanted to at least say he tried. Besides, the shock and happiness on Yugi’s face was worth fighting his hesitation. 

“Okay, we’re planning a Mario Kart tournament while we wait, you in?” 

Bakura grinned, a memory of the first night he spent in Yugi’s room crossing his mind. “Count on it.”

**Author's Note:**

> At this point, I am pretty sure Mario Kart will be a constant in this series :P
> 
> In case you're wondering, TKB&Malik isn't tagged here since their fight/reconciliation isn't the focus for this particular one-shot~


End file.
